It is common in electronic systems to provide a socket mounted directly to a printed circuit board, which can receive some type of an integrated circuit, normally in the form of a chip. In the operation of such circuit devices, particularly large integrated circuit chips, significant heat is generated by the chips, and when in use, can overheat, malfunction, or in some cases cause the chip to fail.
Some attempts have been made to cool the chips. It is known to provide cooling to the chip by way of heat sinks. These are typically in the form of thermally conductive material placed adjacent to the chip, and can include fins to promote faster cooling due to the increased surface area for conduction of heat away from the chip. It is also known to place a fan above a heat sink to cool the chip, by a combination of conduction and convection. It is even know to provide water cooled heat sinks in the case of larger chips.
The objects of the invention are to improve upon these existing systems.